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Freed hostage laments Israeli fans being barred from UK soccer game over concerns of pro-Palestinian protests

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Freed hostage laments Israeli fans being barred from UK soccer game over concerns of pro-Palestinian protests


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British-Israeli woman Emily Damari, who was released from Hamas captivity in January, spoke out about being barred from an upcoming soccer game in England involving her favorite team, Maccabi Tel Aviv. 

The team’s English opponent, Aston Villa, announced that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will not be allowed to attend the upcoming Europa League game in Birmingham, England, on Nov. 6 over safety concerns amid frequent pro-Palestinian protests.

So Damari is not able to watch. 

“I was released from Hamas captivity in January and I am a die hard fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv. I am shocked to my core with this outrageous decision to ban me, my family and my friends from attending an Aston Villa game in the UK. Football is a way of bringing people together irrespective of their faith, colour or religion and this disgusting decision does the exact opposite. Shame on you. I hope you come to your senses and reconsider,” Damari wrote on X.

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Emily Damari, a British-Israeli ex-hostage of Hamas, attends her first Tottenham soccer game since being released during a Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Crystal Palace FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London May 11.  (Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)

People walk towards Israeli military helicopters as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, three female hostages who have been held in Gaza since the deadly October 7 2023 attack, return to Israel

People walk toward Israeli military helicopters as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, three female hostages who have been held in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, return to Israel Jan. 19, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)

“I do wonder what exactly has become of British society, this is like putting a big sign on the outside of a stadium saying ‘No Jews allowed’ What has become of the UK where blatant antisemitism has become the norm? What a sad world we are living in.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the police recommendation to bar the visiting team’s fans from the Nov. 6 game was “the wrong decision” and that “the role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”

Starmer spokesman Geraint Ellis said Friday that “the prime minister has been angered by the decision” and the government was working urgently to overturn it.

Simon Foster, the elected official in Birmingham responsible for overseeing the local police force and holding it to account, also urged an “immediate review,” while local Mayor Richard Parker called on authorities to find “a workable solution” that may involve the government covering some policing costs.

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Pro-Israel Maccabi fans in Amsterdam

Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv light flares and chant slogans ahead of a UEFA Europa League soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Nov. 7, 2024.  (Mouneb Taim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Maccabi Tel Aviv FC supporters were reportedly the target of violence in Amsterdam before and during the soccer team’s match against Ajax last year. More than a dozen people have already been charged in the violence, and several have already been convicted after a series of violent overnight incidents.

Pro-Palestinian protesters have been a common fixture at Maccabi Tel Aviv games in 2025.

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s upcoming match against Aston Villa will be the team’s first away game in the Europa League since pro-Palestinian protests took place at the stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece, against PAOK on Sept. 24. 

About 120 fans of the Israeli club traveled to Greece for that game and were held behind a police cordon before entering the venue.

Aston Villa released a statement addressing the decision. 

“The club are in continuous dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local authorities throughout this ongoing process, with the safety of supporters attending the match and the safety of local residents at the forefront of any decision,” the statement read.

Aston Villa’s ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans is just the latest example of restrictions placed on Israel’s sports teams and fans in recent months. 

Maccabi Tel-Aviv fans

Supporters with Israeli flags queue outside the Stade de France ahead of a UEFA Nations League soccer match between France and Israel in Saint-Denis, France, Nov. 14, 2024. (Michel Stoupak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Indonesian government denied the Israelis visas to enter the country for the upcoming 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta, which begins Sunday. 

The Israel Premier Tech cycling team has been excluded from an upcoming race in Italy, the Giro dell’Emilia, scheduled for Oct. 4, over potentially disruptive pro-Palestinian protests.

The UEFA Europa League, Europe’s biggest soccer body, was reportedly moving toward a vote to suspend Israel over the war in Gaza in September. 

FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced no action would be taken against the team on Oct. 3. He reportedly later met privately at FIFA headquarters with the leader of the Palestinian soccer federation, Jibril Rajoub, and praised his organization “for their resilience at this time,” per The Associated Press. 

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President Donald Trump oversaw the historic ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last week. 

As part of the ceasefire, Hamas released the remaining 20 living hostages held in Gaza, while Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Aaron Rodgers tears into ex-girlfriends: ‘I got myself into crazy town’

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Aaron Rodgers tears into ex-girlfriends: ‘I got myself into crazy town’


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Aaron Rodgers made clear on Wednesday that he has no plans to live a “public life” with his mystery wife, citing immense media scrutiny on his past relationships with high-profile women.

The NFL star previously dated actresses Olivia Munn and Shailene Woodley and former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick. Rodgers and Woodley were engaged in 2021, but called off their wedding plans in 2022 and later broke up.

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) reacts on the field before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium on Oct. 26, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)

Rodgers lambasted his previous girlfriends during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” though he didn’t mention any of them by name. He said when he first met his wife, she didn’t want to date an athlete and moved back overseas.

“I got myself into crazy town, and I was with individuals who called the paparazzi, who leaked or talked about where I was living, who coerced me to make the proverbial Instagram, social media posts,” he said. “I never really wanted to live a public life. If you look at the saga with my family, for years it was one-sided. They were making shots in the media saying bulls—. I never said anything until it got to the point that, all right, enough is enough. … I’m not a social media guy anymore.”

“The narratives have gotten a little bit ridiculous,” he continued. “To some of those, I just want to say, just f—ing move on. It’s been years and years and years. I’ve dealt with clinically bipolar depressed relevance seeking, I dealt with people that wanted to search out other possibilities before they could commit to me, and then they go on TV talking about how I ruined their lives and all this s—.

“And I just want to say, move on with your life. Stop lying about me. Just move on with your life and be happy. It’s not just them, but it’s other people in the media that there’s this relevance they feel that they have to mention my name. I’m not seeking relevance. I’m not seeking attention.”

olivia munn aaron rodgers shailene woodley

Aaron Rodgers previously dated actresses Olivia Munn and Shailene Woodley and ex-NASCAR driver Danica Patrick (not pictured). (Getty Images)

Rodgers added that, when his playing career is done, “you won’t see me.”

“I’m not doing TV … I’m not going to be out and about.”

The four-time MVP also pushed back on those seeking to figure out who his wife is, calling the issue “very strange.” He said earlier in the interview that the media frenzy caused him to move out of his Malibu, California, home.

Aaron Rodgers smiles

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) runs off the field after the game against the Miami Dolphins at Acrisure Stadium on Dec. 15, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)

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Rodgers has only said that his wife’s name is Brittani. The two started dating in December 2024, and they were married at some point in 2025. He said she’s a person who doesn’t want to be in the public spotlight and is happy with the possibility of leaving public life as well.

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Browns star Myles Garrett in speeding trouble again with 9th citation since entering NFL

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Browns star Myles Garrett in speeding trouble again with 9th citation since entering NFL


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He may be one of the best players in the NFL, but Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett isn’t great at following traffic laws. 

The 2025 Defensive Player of the Year was cited for driving 94 mph in a 70-mph zone on Interstate 71 in Congress Township, Ohio, which is between Cleveland and Columbus, back on Feb. 21, according to court records.

This speeding ticket marks the ninth since Garrett has entered the NFL since his rookie season in 2017, which includes a scary moment where he flipped his Porsche in 2022 after an incident where speeding was a factor. 

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Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Garrett was cited then for going 65 mph in a 45-mph zone at the time. 

Garrett was also driving a Porsche during this traffic stop, as the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office pulled over the Browns star as he was going 24 mph over the speed limit in the early hours last month. Before being pulled over, Garrett was spotted at a college basketball game between Bowling Green and Miami of Ohio in Oxford, which is near Cincinnati. 

Prior to this ticket, Garrett was pulled over during Browns training camp on Aug. 9, when he was driving 100 mph in a 60-mph zone in Strongsville, Ohio, which is near the team’s Berea training facility. 

The Browns had just returned home from their preseason matchup against the Carolina Panthers, which led to a $250 fine for Garrett as well. 

He was peppered with questions from the media about his speeding past following his then-eighth citation, but he declined to respond. 

Myles Garrett reacts on field

Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns looks on during the second quarter in the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on October 26, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

“I’d honestly prefer to talk about football and this team than anything I’m doing off the field other than the back-to-school event that I did the other day,” Garrett said to media on Aug. 20.

Garrett added that he tried to “keep my personal life personal. And I’d rather focus on this team when I can.”

It was hard not to ask Garrett about what happened in 2022, when he suffered a shoulder and biceps strains, among other less serious injuries, after his car flipped over. He had to miss the team’s Week 4 contest against the Atlanta Falcons, though he returned to his normal self that year. He had 16 sacks and two forced fumbles in 16 games for Cleveland. 

This past year, Garrett broke the single-season sack record (23) with a league-high 33 tackles for loss in an insane campaign that made him a lock for the Defensive Player of the Year Award in his ninth season for the Browns. He had now made it three straight first-team All-Pro honors and five overall. 

Myles Garrett looks on field

Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns looks on during warmups prior to the game at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 26, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Billie Weiss/Getty Images)

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But Garrett will now have to either appear in court on March 10, or pay a fine of more than $100 for his latest speeding ticket, per WKYC in Cleveland. After signing a then-record four-year, $160 million extension with Cleveland last year, the latter is likely the option he’ll choose. 

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LaLiga side Celta Vigo put out plea to Madonna to find 1990 jersey

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LaLiga side Celta Vigo put out plea to Madonna to find 1990 jersey


Spanish club Celta Vigo have called on Madonna and their club fans to help them end their 36-year search to find the team jersey that the global icon wore during her concert at their Balaidos stadium in 1990.

Madonna’s show on July 29 1990 in Vigo marked the first major international concert in the city and was one of the last stops on the pop star’s Blond Ambition European tour.

The LaLiga outfit said it wants to recover the “unique and irreplaceable garment” to add it to its historical archives.

“That night, the artist donned a Celta Vigo jersey with [former Celta defender Jose Manuel] Espinosa’s number 5 on the back,” a club statement said.

“This moment, captured by photographer Víctor de las Heras, became an iconic image in the history of the club and the city. After the performance, the jersey vanished, its whereabouts unknown ever since. Celta Vigo has now revealed that it had been searching for it privately for years, but the investigation stalled.

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“Thirty-six years later, the club is launching an appeal to all Celta Vigo fans to help locate the jersey, with the intention of adding it to its historical archives. For Celta Vigo, it is a unique and irreplaceable garment that forms part of its emotional heritage. For this reason, the club would appreciate any relevant information regarding the whereabouts of the shirt Madonna wore on stage at Balaídos. The following link has been provided to receive any information related to the garment.”

Celta president Marián Mouriño has also written an open letter asking Madonna for her help while explaining why that jersey means so much to the club.

“Your image with our shirt has become a myth and is part of the history of Celta that is also written off the pitch,” she wrote.

“Many see all this as a simple anecdote. But I like to think that nothing happens by chance. Although it was not the only shirt you wore on stage, that image began to shine in a different way over the years. Because we understand better what you defended back then: questioning the established and standing up to those who try to tell you what you can or cannot do.

“At the club that I preside over, we recognize ourselves in that way of being in the world.”

In the letter, Mouriño said her club will “dedicate a gesture of affection” to Madonna ahead of Friday’s home league game against Real Madrid with the intention of asking the singer: “Do you have it? If you know where it might be or want to help us, please contact us by private message.”



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